In Brazil’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, Copacabana Beach hosts the famous Copacabana fireworks and millions of revelers.
Rio de Janeiro’s Réveillon de Copacabana is staged along the Copacabana waterfront and is one of Brazil’s best-known New Year events. Large crowds gather on the sand and promenade for concerts, religious and cultural rituals, and a midnight fireworks display launched over the sea.
Many attendees wear white, a color commonly associated with peace and renewal in Brazilian New Year celebrations. Some people also make offerings to Iemanjá, the Afro-Brazilian orixá associated with the sea, although practices vary among participants and communities.
Copacabana is a neighborhood and beach in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone. It is sometimes confused with nearby Ipanema, another famous Rio beach, but the internationally publicized New Year celebration is specifically identified with Copacabana.